Tag: Social Issues

Solution to Poverty: Educating Girls

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Thomas Jefferson said, “All men are created equal.”  Everyone should have access to education regardless of his race, gender, religion or nationality.

It may sound absurd because we are already in the 21st century and almost everyone can go to school, but this is a sad reality for some women in third world countries.

Let us read the link below to know more about how educating women can create an impact on the society.

https://www.theguardian.com/opportunity-international-roundtables/2017/oct/04/global-poverty-child-marriage-education-girls

Discussion Questions:

1. Do you find it surprising that over 130 million girls worldwide are not in school? Why? Why not?
2. Would you agree that education is “a protection for girls”? Why? Why not?
3. Do you believe that education is the most effective way to fight poverty? Why? Why not?

Performance-Enhancing Drugs in Sports

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Doping means to administer drugs, known as performing-enhancement drugs (PED), to an animal or athlete in order to inhibit or enhance sporting performance. There are numerous reports of the use of PEDs in various sporting events, which led to banning of the condemned players.

Let us take a look at these incidents.

http://edition.cnn.com/2013/06/06/us/performance-enhancing-drugs-in-sports-fast-facts/index.html

Discussion Questions:

1. What are some examples of performance-enhancing drugs (PED) and their effects?

2. What is your opinion about the use of PEDs?

3. Who is your favorite athlete? What would you do if s/he were found and convicted of doping?

4. Should the use of PEDs be allowed to a sick athlete who would need to perform in one sporting event? Why or why not?

‘Whitewashing’ in Hollywood

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Whitewashing refers to casting white actors as characters who are non-white or of indeterminate race. There are a couple of movies and TV shows in Hollywood that have had their casting criticized as whitewashing. Critics of this practice claim that this is a form downplaying other races. What do you think of whitewashing?

http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/breakfast-at-tiffany-hellboy-hollywood-whitewashing-a7932581.html

Discussion questions:

1. Cite an example of whitewashing in movies or TV that you have watched.

2. What do you guess could be the possible problems whitewashing can cause?

3. If you were a white actor and were chosen to play a non-white character role, would you take it?

Go Beyond the Female Stereotypes

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Advertisements can subtlely convey a message to the viewers. A veteran South African politician said, “Adverts create a role model that people look up to, even mimic and try to be like.”  Do you think the government should do something to regulate ads?

Let’s read the article below and talk about female stereotypes in ads.

https://www.voanews.com/a/un-advertisers-female-stereotypes/3912630.html

Discussion Questions:

  1. Do you think that advertisements are more influential than movies, books, or online content? Why? Why not?
  2. Why do you think stereotyping is such a common practice?
  3. Would you agree that “adverts create a role model that people look up to?” Why or why not?
  4. Do you think that ads can influence how kids and young adults think about their body? Explain.

Banning Smartphones for Children Under 13

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© User: 3dman_eu / pixabay / CC0

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Kids born in the late 1990s and early 2000s are born in the digital age. Some kids as young as 2 years old already knows how to turn on a phone and use some apps. Young children learn how to use devices or gadgets such as mobile phones very easily these days but is it beneficial for them to start using cell phones at a young age?

Let us read the article below first and then answer the questions that follow.

https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/colorado-moves-to-ban-smartphones-for-children-under-13/3906933.html

Discussion Questions:

1. What do you think about the proposal?
2. Why do you think the proposal only targets phones with internet access?
3. What “mental effects” might constant smartphone use have on children?
4. Would you agree that a child’s smartphone usage is a “family matter?” Why? Why not?
5. Do you agree that children under the age of 6 should only watch an hour of videos a day? Why? Why not?
6. Do you think that the children of today will be completely dependent on digital devices by the time they grow up? Why? Why not?

Ways the Rich Signal Their Wealth

C1 – Advanced

Long time ago, corsets and silver spoons symbolized high social position. In the modern times, more middle-class people can go on fancy vacations and afford luxury bags too. The challenge for the super rich is to look for ways to set them apart in terms of their elite social status.

Read this article to find out how the elites mark their social position.

http://www.bbc.com/capital/story/20170614-the-new-subtle-ways-the-rich-signal-their-wealth

Discussion Questions:

1. According to this article, how are the rich establishing their status now?
2. What are your thoughts on conspicuous and inconspicuous consumption?
3. Why do you think the super rich are spending less on material goods and the middle-income groups are going on the opposite direction?

Students in Amsterdam Share Housing With Refugees

B2 – Upper Intermediate

There are at least two biggest problems in every European country. They are: the influx of refugees and the increasing prices of apartments. Amsterdam might have a solution to this problem. They have introduced a new concept called “Startblok” where university students can live in a low-priced good quality apartments with refugees.

Watch the video, listen to the audio and read the article to know more about this integration project between university students and refugees.

https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/students-amsterdam-share-housing-refugees/3695391.html

Discussion Questions:

1. What are the students and refugees expected to do in exchange for the cheap housing?
2. What are your thoughts on the “Startblok” project? Do you see this succeeding in your country?
3. What is the general attitude towards refugees in your country? Do you think that refugees find it difficult to integrate into your local community?
4. Is housing cheap in your country? Would you ever consider moving abroad because of lower housing costs?

 

Middle School Students Advocate for Mitchell’s Law

B1 – Intermediate

Middle schoolers passed a resolution in the Senate to lobby for police animals rights. Everyone awaits whether this will eventually become a law after it passes in the State Assembly.

Find out more about their proposed law below:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1SHLLdeQdn396iL9TQjNS8kBjzdQSW0cBQUrkswkfYkQ/edit?usp=sharing

Discussion Questions:

1. Who is Mitchell and what is the Mitchell’s Law?
2. In your opinion, is Mitchell’s Law relevant to other parts of the world?
3. Do you think it’s acceptable for children to take part in law-making?

Food Waste

B2 – Upper Intermediate

Food waste is food that is discarded or uneaten. Each year, we dispose of a third of the world’s food.

Listen to this podcast to learn more about food wastage and ways to stop it.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/6-minute-english/ep-170511

Let’s talk:

1. Where does the biggest percentage of food waste come from?

2. What usually happens to the food we waste?

3. What are the consequences of food waste?

4. What is Selina Juul doing to stop food waste in Denmark? What are other ways to avoid wasting food?

5. What do you tend to do with your leftovers?

6. How’s not finishing your food viewed in your country?

Drunk Driving

B1 – Intermediate

Driving under the influence, or driving while impaired, is the crime or offense of operating a vehicle while impaired by alcohol or other drugs (including recreational drugs and those prescribed by physicians), to a level that renders the driver incapable of operating a motor vehicle safely.

Linda Hunt

In 1994, in the town of Barrie in central Canada, Linda Hunt, a part-time receptionist at Incentive Realty, got drunk at an office Christmas party. Her boss noticed what had happened and told her if she was going to drink any more she had to call her husband and ask him to come and pick her up. The boss had also told all the employees before the party began that, if they felt they were too drunk to drive home safely, the company would pay for a taxi.

But Linda ignored her boss’s warning. She felt all right. After the party, Linda and some of her co-workers went to P.J.’s pub in Barrie and continued drinking. By the time Linda left the pub and headed home, it was snowing—and Linda had more than twice the legal limit of alcohol in her blood. Several of her friends offered her a ride but she refused. On the road she lost control of her car and hit a truck. She received serious head injuries, including brain damage. She was in hospital for several months and needed both physiotherapy and speech therapy. Seven years later, she was still suffering from pain and mild amnesia.

On February 6, 2001 an Ontario Superior Court judge announced that Linda’s company and P.J.’s pub had to pay Linda a large part of the money she had lost because she was not able to work after the accident. Together they were ordered to pay more that $300,000, but, because the pub was not in business anymore, the realty company where Linda worked had to pay the whole amount.

There have been at least two other cases in Canada where an employer was held partly responsible for an accident caused by a employee drinking on the job, but this decision was important because it was the first time in Canada that an employer of a drunken driver has been found partly responsible for an accident even though they had warned their employee not to drive.

Linda Hunt’s lawyer was interviewed after the decision was announced. He said that, because of this case, there is now a possibility that people who allow their friends to get drunk in their homes, and then allow them to drive home will be held responsible for an accident.

– information from: Globe and Mail (Toronto), 01.02.06, and Toronto Star, 01.02.06

Discussion Questions:

1. What do you think about drunk driving?

2. What are the penalties for drunk driving in your country?

3. Should the passengers/friends of a drunk driver also be punished?

4. Is drunk driving one of the biggest causes of road accidents in your country?

5. Is it fair to hold the employer responsible for an accident caused by a drunk employee?